For new gamers, this is great news from IO Interactive but for other gamers, mainly those who are accustomed to buying games day 1, might be a reason to really just avoid day one launching with this Hitman announcement.

“‘Ever expanding, ever dangerous. It will never stop challenging you.’

In 2015, we shared our vision for the World of Assassination; an ever-expanding game that would evolve over time and be the foundation for future Hitman games. Those were the exact words we used and a central promise to how we’ve released the three games in the seven years that followed.

Today, we’re excited to announce some upcoming changes to how our players (both existing and new) will experience, access and purchase Hitman I, Hitman II, and HITMAN III. These changes will make it easier than ever to enter and enjoy the World of Assassination—and finally allow us to realize the vision we set out to achieve.

As of January 26, 2023, the following changes are planned to come into effect.

Hitman III will become Hitman: World of Assassination, which will also include access to Hitman I and Hitman II through our existing Access Pass system. Current Hitman III owners will get a free upgrade to Hitman: World of Assassination on all platforms.

We’re drastically simplifying the purchase experience for new players. Hitman: World of Assassination will be the single available option to start playing.

Essentially, these two changes will mean that all new players and existing Hitman III owners will have the same base content ownership. There will be no more confusion over which edition to buy, what content you own, how to redeem Legacy packs or import locations, etc. We’re done with that.

■ The World of Assassination

We’re approaching these changes with a no compromises approach. We want to make absolutely sure that the experience of entering or enjoying the World of Assassination is simple and straightforward.

Let’s break it down. We’re streamlining the (many) offerings currently on the stores down to two products. These will replace existing ways to buy Hitman I, Hitman II, or HITMAN III.

Hitman: World of Assassination (approx. $70 USD or local equivalent)

Includes: Hitman III, plus Hitman I Game of the Year Access Pass and Hitman II Standard Access Pass.

Hitman: World of Assassination Deluxe Pack (approx. $30 USD or local equivalent)

Includes: Hitman III Deluxe Pack, Hitman III Seven Deadly Sins Collection, and Hitman II Expansion Access Pass.

That’s it. Those are the only two products that new players need to consider when buying any Hitman game digitally as of January 26, 2023.

■ Player-Friendly Flexibility

We want the experience for new players to be straightforward and concrete. We believe the above changes will achieve that. However, for existing players, who cover a huge matrix of different ownership combinations, we’re being a little bit more flexible—but still with a strong approach for simplicity.

The reason for this flexibility is that we know many of you own certain games or downloadable content but not others, and we don’t want to force anyone to (re)buy what they already own. We think that’s a good enough reason to still have a few options—but these options won’t be front and center for new players. The idea is to keep these details visible to those who might need them.

Steam Complete the Set

On Steam, we are going to implement ‘complete the set’ functionality for the three downloadable content packs included in the Hitman: World of Assassination Deluxe Pack (Hitman III Deluxe Pack, Hitman III Seven Deadly Sins Collection, and Hitman II Expansion Access Pass). This will mean you only pay an even split for whatever content you don’t own. For example, if you own two of the downloadable contents, you’ll only pay $10 for the remaining downloadable content, rather than having to pay full price for the full Deluxe Pack.

In-Game Story

On other platforms, we’ve added each individual downloadable content from the new Hitman: World of Assassination Deluxe Pack (Hitman III Deluxe Pack, Hitman III Seven Deadly Sins Collection, and Hitman II Expansion Access Pass) to the in-game store, again priced with an even split ($10 USD each). If you own some (but not all) of that content, you’ll be able to buy whatever you’re missing—at a new and reduced price.

Storefront Changes

An important detail that we want to be clear about amongst these changes, is that we’re removing the standalone Hitman I and Hitman II products from sale on all platforms. If you already own these games, you’ll still be able to access them in the exact same way that you do today. Of course, the majority of the content included in these games remains playable through Hitman: World of Assassination, with all of the improvements that were introduced with Hitman III.

On that note, and for extra clarity, Hitman III will remain available in its current standalone form through the upcoming Hitman: World of Assassination.

■ Final Thoughts

We’re absolutely certain that these changes will have a hugely positive effect on existing players and new players alike. It will also make our lives a lot easier too, there’s no doubting that.

For many players, it will mean free content to enjoy. For others, it will mean significantly cheaper downloadable content prices. For new players, who probably aren’t reading this here, they’ll have a much better experience buying Hitman games.

The changes have also been made with the Freelancer game mode in mind, where being able to easily access all locations from across the World of Assassination is paramount to maximizing your enjoyment.

Between now and when these changes come into effect, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the reactions and questions that arise.”

Basically the TLDR of this is that HItman III will be updated to be rebranded as Hitman:  World Of Assasination and practically converge all three current trilogy’s Hitman games to be in a live service environment with focus on what is already the content of Hitman III.

Hitman I and II will be gone from storefronts on every platform the game is available and will reflect the placeholder of Hitman III as the new Hitman: World Of Assasination.

I get that this news for one side, guarantees the longevity of the franchise in terms on converting a love service the entrance of missions and challenges, but in the other hand, day one player probably feel their investment meant nothing at the end of the day, but we can be sure of one thing, gaming industry never stop to disappoint